Take a few minutes to relax and unwind with this gentle guided meditation. I created this video as a part of the monthly VO challenges offered by coach Domingo Castillo, who asked for everyone’s readings of the lovely script by Elizabeth Winkler on Insight Timer.
I hope this helps you find a few moments of calm during your busy days and nights.
Later this week I’ll have surgery to remove a thyroid nodule, and I’ll be losing half of my thyroid. This surgery, while very common, carries a risk of damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerve (the thyroid hugs your trachea below your larynx), which can cause people to experience hoarseness or changes to their vocal quality. I’m worried, but chances are I’ll be fine. (My fingers and toes are all crossed.)
I’d love to hear about it if you have any experience with thyroid surgery (or know someone who has), especially you voice actors.
–What did you do afterward to get your voice back in shape?
–How long did it take?
–Any advice?
I would love to collect a list of resources for myself and anyone else going through this, so please let me know about anything that worked for you. Thanks for your help!
Update: thankfully my biopsy results were benign. What a relief! That’s the great news.
The not-so-great-news is that now that that’s over, I have to start taking care of my thyroid issues. It starts with a biopsy next week.
I recently had what I thought what would be a quick follow-up visit with my endocrinologist (this was just days after learning from the breast surgeon that I would need a biopsy) to check the status of the nodule that they discovered last year. It turns out that it’s gotten bigger, and I need to have surgery. I’m losing half of my thyroid, possibly the whole thing.
This was a shock because after worrying so much about it last year when I first learned that I had one, so many people reassured me, “don’t worry, nodules rarely have to come out.” So here, again, are the worries about what this means for my work as a voice actor, what it’s like taking thyroid medication, and ultimately, how I’m going to deal with these changes. That’s really what’s at work here, the fear of the unknown. And for the past month or so this situation and the breast biopsy have taken up a lot of mental space and energy. I’m trying to remain optimistic, and I thank everyone for their support!
I’d like to support you, too. If you have any questions about mammograms, biopsies, ultrasounds, MRIs, please feel free to ask me anything. If it helps you to talk about it, I’m happy to share my experiences. And again, I hope everyone is able to make their appointments to get checked and be healthy. Not just during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but all throughout the year. XOXO
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, our yearly reminder to take care of ourselves and make sure we’re on top of our annual mammograms and screenings. This year, for me, it’s hitting a little closer to home because next week I have to get a biopsy.
I’m worried about what the results will be, but I feel hopeful about the outcome because I’ve been keeping up with my appointments and checks. If it turns out to be anything, it will be caught early.
So I guess what I’m saying is that it’s nice to have the peace of mind that I’ve done all I can do, and if I can encourage anyone else to make their appointments to have that same peace of mind, then here is my PSA.
Be healthy, be well, XOXO.
